The Conduit Preview -- Pretty, but boring.

"It's true the Wii doesn't have a great many shooters, but does that mean we should reward any old tat that comes along simply because the genre's better examples aren't available for the platform? We don't think so. The truth is that while The Conduit may be marvellous on a technical level, underneath it seems to be the same old corridor-traipsing gunfest you've seen many times before - and it's not really much fun. Still, maybe something will change before release day..."

I could've told you it would have been boring too. It looks like a run of the mill shooter that can be found on other consoles. I honestly don't see the hype for the game and I'm glad someone is actually calling it out.

Oh, and I can't wait to hear the glowing, "amazing, fantastic, Wii owners should buy this game" preview coming out of Matt C's rear in a few weeks.

Anyway -- what do you guys think? Is NGamer going to be the only one to call The Conduit out or is it going to get glowing previews all round?

Pretty?
Yeah :|

The game is nothing special

It's over a generation late

i don't think the game would boring, you haven't play the game

i don't think the game would boring, you haven't play the game

riou7

Doesn't the same apply to you then?

You're saying it's not boring but you also haven't played it

I think I will still enjoy it, The controls are great and it looks great so as long as its fun then im sold.

The game is nothing special

It's over a generation late

"It's true the Wii doesn't have a great many shooters, but does that mean we should reward any old tat that comes along simply because the genre's better examples aren't available for the platform? We don't think so. The truth is that while The Conduit may be marvellous on a technical level, underneath it seems to be the same old corridor-traipsing gunfest you've seen many times before - and it's not really much fun. Still, maybe something will change before release day..."

Haziqonfire

this is exactly what i have been saying since i first saw and heard of the conduit

i don't think the game would boring, you haven't play the game

riou7

Although I can understand where you are coming from, TC, I believe that this game deserves at least a rent simply due to the "hard work" that has been put into it, as opposed to other third party productions. Honestly, if someone is going to boast about how much effort was put in the game, I would like to experience how well the product will turn out, even if for only a limited period of time.singh_it_to_me

I didn't expect anything else. I'm looking forward to many 3rd party Wii games, but this surely isn't one of them.

'Pretty, but boring' rather reminds me of some overhyped PS360 games though :D

Watch this

First of all who is this guy that said the game is boring? Every other preview has HIGHLLY praised The Conduit.

Second why bash this game when it looks to be a serious effort to deliver quality on Wii, the Wii can't produce 360 looking visulas but honestly if they can take care of some of the alaising than the game will look extremely solid. Also I'D RATHER GET THIS THAN HAVE ANOTHER RAIL SHOOTER DUMPED ON WII....you want to talk about boring and generic; rail shooter pretty much fits in both those catagories.

"It's true the Wii doesn't have a great many shooters, but does that mean we should reward any old tat that comes along simply because the genre's better examples aren't available for the platform? We don't think so. The truth is that while The Conduit may be marvellous on a technical level, underneath it seems to be the same old corridor-traipsing gunfest you've seen many times before - and it's not really much fun. Still, maybe something will change before release day..."

I could've told you it would have been boring too. It looks like a run of the mill shooter that can be found on other consoles. I honestly don't see the hype for the game and I'm glad someone is actually calling it out.

Oh, and I can't wait to hear the glowing, "amazing, fantastic, Wii owners should buy this game" preview coming out of Matt C's rear in a few weeks.

Anyway -- what do you guys think? Is NGamer going to be the only one to call The Conduit out or is it going to get glowing previews all round?

Haziqonfire

Im perfectly happy to trust NGamerMOST of the time. I trusted their 89/100 for Wii Music, and I swear I was not disappointed. At the same time though, you STILL dont know unless you play it for yourself. Im very suspicious of their previews for The Conduit, and Its not like im highly anticipating the Conduit as muych as most people on this forum are.

As a history student, Ive become increasingly tired of the use of sources on this forum. But then what do you expect from the internet, where virtuallynothing is unbiased or factual. Media in general is shifty. Nowadays, I think If I find something interesting, I should be the one to judge. Not a website, not a magazine, not a random forum poster etc.

I somehow doubt, however, that Matt C, however dodgy his journalism is (face it, they're all dodgy apart from Greg K. I want his babies.) he will give it a glowing preview if there was some glaring flaw.

I hope all of you whiners enjoy games like Deca Sports, Ninjabread Man, Sonic and the Black Knight, Wii Music, etc... because that's all you are going to get if you don't support games like the Conduit. You guys really don't seem to get it at all. Is it the best FPS ever, a halo-killer, and a game that everyone on the planet must play? Of course not. Is it an example of a developer developing a game solely for the Wii and putting absolutely all their effort into it to make a great game for the core gamer? Most definitely. Oh and for all of you saying the (technical) graphics look bad...you seriously haven't played many wii games. I agree that the art direction could use some work, but from the technical side of things, this game will be on par with Super Mario Galaxy. Write it down.

The fact of the matter is that crappy, shovelware games are selling like hotcakes on the Wii while other quality-made games are left in the dust. As a publisher trying to do the best thing for a company, what would you do? More and more of them will just abandon core games altogether and they will actually make MORE money.

Like I said, if those are the kinds of games you enjoy then by all means, rally against the Conduit...because you probably won't see anything else like it on the Wii if the current trend holds.

I hope all of you whiners enjoy games like Deca Sports, Ninjabread Man, Sonic and the Black Knight, Wii Music, etc... because that's all you are going to get if you don't support games like the Conduit. You guys really don't seem to get it at all. Is it the best FPS ever, a halo-killer, and a game that everyone on the planet must play? Of course not. Is it an example of a developer developing a game solely for the Wii and putting absolutely all their effort into it to make a great game for the core gamer? Most definitely. Oh and for all of you saying the (technical) graphics look bad...you seriously haven't played many wii games. I agree that the art direction could use some work, but from the technical side of things, this game will be on par with Super Mario Galaxy. Write it down.

The fact of the matter is that crappy, shovelware games are selling like hotcakes on the Wii while other quality-made games are left in the dust. As a publisher trying to do the best thing for a company, what would you do? More and more of them will just abandon core games altogether and they will actually make MORE money.

Like I said, if those are the kinds of games you enjoy then by all means, rally against the Conduit...because you probably won't see anything else like it on the Wii if the current trend holds.

jfrancis04

Is NGamer going to be the only one to call The Conduit out or is it going to get glowing previews all round?Haziqonfire

I hope all of you whiners enjoy games like Deca Sports, Ninjabread Man, Sonic and the Black Knight, Wii Music, etc... because that's all you are going to get if you don't support games like the Conduit. You guys really don't seem to get it at all. Is it the best FPS ever, a halo-killer, and a game that everyone on the planet must play? Of course not. Is it an example of a developer developing a game solely for the Wii and putting absolutely all their effort into it to make a great game for the core gamer? Most definitely. Oh and for all of you saying the (technical) graphics look bad...you seriously haven't played many wii games. I agree that the art direction could use some work, but from the technical side of things, this game will be on par with Super Mario Galaxy. Write it down.

The fact of the matter is that crappy, shovelware games are selling like hotcakes on the Wii while other quality-made games are left in the dust. As a publisher trying to do the best thing for a company, what would you do? More and more of them will just abandon core games altogether and they will actually make MORE money.

Like I said, if those are the kinds of games you enjoy then by all means, rally against the Conduit...because you probably won't see anything else like it on the Wii if the current trend holds.

jfrancis04

Oh yeah, it's totally black and white like that. It's either "OMG teh amazing hardcorez game for teh Wii!" or "only teh shavolwerez for u!! HAHAH!! LOL". Yeah, those are our only 2 options. :roll:

You ever think that maybe, just maybe, some of us just don't want a generic FPS? Why would we support a game that we have no interest in? I mean, would you support Ninjabread Man, just because someone told you to?

And what about games like Deadly Creatures, de Blob, Zack and Wiki, Boom Blox, etc.? Those types of games are what the Wii should be about, not generic FPS's like every other console out there has.

You ever think that maybe, just maybe, some of us just don't want a generic FPS? Why would we support a game that we have no interest in?

bob_newman

Rail shooters seem to be profitable, and more are coming so publishers can tell if this is confirmed. Shovelware is profitable. Games like Deadly Creatures, de Blob, and Z&W are not that profitable. A bunch of horror games are coming out to test whether mature horror games are profitable. And The Conduit is a major test whether non-rail new IP FPS is profitable.

How these games do on the console is reflective of the demographics of the installed base, and publishers will be less willing to put a game on consoles with the wrong demographic balance for it. It's just not a good investment, and investments are dangerous in this economy.

[QUOTE="jfrancis04"]

I hope all of you whiners enjoy games like Deca Sports, Ninjabread Man, Sonic and the Black Knight, Wii Music, etc... because that's all you are going to get if you don't support games like the Conduit. You guys really don't seem to get it at all. Is it the best FPS ever, a halo-killer, and a game that everyone on the planet must play? Of course not. Is it an example of a developer developing a game solely for the Wii and putting absolutely all their effort into it to make a great game for the core gamer? Most definitely. Oh and for all of you saying the (technical) graphics look bad...you seriously haven't played many wii games. I agree that the art direction could use some work, but from the technical side of things, this game will be on par with Super Mario Galaxy. Write it down.

The fact of the matter is that crappy, shovelware games are selling like hotcakes on the Wii while other quality-made games are left in the dust. As a publisher trying to do the best thing for a company, what would you do? More and more of them will just abandon core games altogether and they will actually make MORE money.

Like I said, if those are the kinds of games you enjoy then by all means, rally against the Conduit...because you probably won't see anything else like it on the Wii if the current trend holds.

bob_newman

Oh yeah, it's totally black and white like that. It's either "OMG teh amazing hardcorez game for teh Wii!" or "only teh shavolwerez for u!! HAHAH!! LOL". Yeah, those are our only 2 options. :roll:

You ever think that maybe, just maybe, some of us just don't want a generic FPS? Why would we support a game that we have no interest in? I mean, would you support Ninjabread Man, just because someone told you to?

And what about games like Deadly Creatures, de Blob, Zack and Wiki, Boom Blox, etc.? Those types of games are what the Wii should be about, not generic FPS's like every other console out there has.

[QUOTE="bob_newman"]

Oh yeah, it's totally black and white like that. It's either "OMG teh amazing hardcorez game for teh Wii!" or "only teh shavolwerez for u!! HAHAH!! LOL". Yeah, those are our only 2 options. :roll:

You ever think that maybe, just maybe, some of us just don't want a generic FPS? Why would we support a game that we have no interest in? I mean, would you support Ninjabread Man, just because someone told you to?

And what about games like Deadly Creatures, de Blob, Zack and Wiki, Boom Blox, etc.? Those types of games are what the Wii should be about, not generic FPS's like every other console out there has.

umcommon

-I think the point he is trying to make is if a well done game sells good on Wii devs will be more likely to support Wii with even better games. The COnduit appears to be the best effort thus far in the FPS genre for Wii.

-Did you ever consider the fact that everyone has different tastes and MANY OF US like FPS games? It's one of the most popular genres in western gaming and Wii has been shafted.

-Niche games are nice but if that's the only genre devs focus on they'll end up in the poor house.

-Well if that's what he's saying (which I doubt), than fine. But the way he worded it (buy this game or we'll only get shovelware) is completely wrong.

Like...this one game is the make-all and end-all of the system?

-But he was specifically going after people who do not like FPS (the "whiners", as fanboys would say). Does he think he's going to suddenly change our minds about the genre?

And if FPS's have such a huge following, then it will sell well anyway, with or without our support. So why do we need to support this game, again?

-End up in the poor house? All of the games I mentioned made, or will make, a profit. It might not be an insane profit like Nintendo makes, but it's still a profit.

In fact, some "niche" games (Boom Blox, de Blob, Kororinpa) did well enough to warrant sequels. So there's definitely a market for them.

Basically, the point of my original argument is that people need to stop pressuring others to buy this game, just because it's "teh hardcorez". If you don't like it, you don't like it. Simple as that.

Also I'D RATHER GET THIS THAN HAVE ANOTHER RAIL SHOOTER DUMPED ON WII....you want to talk about boring and generic; rail shooter pretty much fits in both those catagories.umcommon

Did you ever consider the fact that everyone has different tastes and MANY OF US like FPS games? It's one of the most popular genres in western gaming and Wii has been shafted.umcommon

Those genres can coexist. The Wii has about twice the number of FPS games as rail shooters. I personally think that both genres are underdeveloped on the Wii, but that's not my point here.

I spend too much time defending the existence of onrails shooters, but here's a little bit of info that I think is interesting. According to Gameranking's total game list of all games ever made on every platform (including arcade and mobile), 60 of those are rail shooters and nearly 1300 of them are FPS. Of course those numbers aren't going to be totally accurate, since it includes all the different versions of the same game and genre classification can be iffy; but regardless, clearly one genre dominates the other in the industry.

The Wii is the first home console that allows a legitimate rail shooter experience. Yes, I do want more rail shooters on it, because I think that they're fun and that they definitely haven't oversaturated the industry. And again, there are more FPS games than rail shooters on the Wii. We're seeing with Darkside Chronicles and more so with Dead Space Extraction that there is plenty of room for innovation in the genre since it really hasn't been touched much over the years.

[QUOTE="umcommon"]Also I'D RATHER GET THIS THAN HAVE ANOTHER RAIL SHOOTER DUMPED ON WII....you want to talk about boring and generic; rail shooter pretty much fits in both those catagories.JordanElek

Did you ever consider the fact that everyone has different tastes and MANY OF US like FPS games? It's one of the most popular genres in western gaming and Wii has been shafted.umcommon

Those genres can coexist. The Wii has about twice the number of FPS games as rail shooters. I personally think that both genres are underdeveloped on the Wii, but that's not my point here.

I spend too much time defending the existence of onrails shooters, but here's a little bit of info that I think is interesting. According to Gameranking's total game list of all games ever made on every platform (including arcade and mobile), 60 of those are rail shooters and nearly 1300 of them are FPS. Of course those numbers aren't going to be totally accurate, since it includes all the different versions of the same game and genre classification can be iffy; but regardless, clearly one genre dominates the other in the industry.

The Wii is the first home console that allows a legitimate rail shooter experience. Yes, I do want more rail shooters on it, because I think that they're fun and that they definitely haven't oversaturated the industry. And again, there are more FPS games than rail shooters on the Wii. We're seeing with Darkside Chronicles and more so with Dead Space Extraction that there is plenty of room for innovation in the genre since it really hasn't been touched much over the years.

Oh God, I don't like where this thread is going. This is a high quality game and now these guys are ignoring it.Pices

How is it high quality?

It doesn't look good (they just made things shiny)

It's the same exact stuff that's been done last gen

So where is this game high quality?

[QUOTE="Pices"]Oh God, I don't like where this thread is going. This is a high quality game and now these guys are ignoring it.Jaysonguy

How is it high quality?

It doesn't look good (they just made things shiny)

It's the same exact stuff that's been done last gen

So where is this game high quality?

You know, after all of your posts, it's taken a while, but now I've decided...

I like your kitty picture.

[QUOTE="Pices"]Oh God, I don't like where this thread is going. This is a high quality game and now these guys are ignoring it.Jaysonguy

How is it high quality?

It doesn't look good (they just made things shiny)

It's the same exact stuff that's been done last gen

So where is this game high quality?

It's just a generic shooter, and that's what it's supposed to be. I don't know how people expect such high scores for this, looks like a 7-7.5 game and that's it.

What it all comes down to for me is it's just really upsetting when people bash a developer/game/publisher for going in a different direction in an attempt to fulfill an undeveloped market on Wii. Wii does have some FPS games but all of them have glaring flaws that make them fall short in a big ways. umcommon

The Conduit might be seen as the Umbrella Chronicles of the FPS genre on the Wii. It's a quality game, but it's pretty standard as far as the genre goes. Let's see an FPS on the Wii that isn't derivative. That's pretty much the only complaint about The Conduit. But even I bought and love Umbrella Chronicles, so I won't rush to judge people who will buy and love The Conduit.

I think the game is really insane.

"It's true the Wii doesn't have a great many shooters, but does that mean we should reward any old tat that comes along simply because the genre's better examples aren't available for the platform? We don't think so. The truth is that while The Conduit may be marvellous on a technical level, underneath it seems to be the same old corridor-traipsing gunfest you've seen many times before - and it's not really much fun. Still, maybe something will change before release day..."

I could've told you it would have been boring too. It looks like a run of the mill shooter that can be found on other consoles. I honestly don't see the hype for the game and I'm glad someone is actually calling it out.

Oh, and I can't wait to hear the glowing, "amazing, fantastic, Wii owners should buy this game" preview coming out of Matt C's rear in a few weeks.

Anyway -- what do you guys think? Is NGamer going to be the only one to call The Conduit out or is it going to get glowing previews all round?

What it all comes down to is opinion. This thread, obviously, isn't for people who are interested in the game. And you know something? I'm okay with that. It's not going to be for everyone, and I just happen to be one of the people who are interested. If people don't want to play it, they don't have to. Don't worry about it, gang.

I seen about 30 Conduit hands on and about 2 of them negitive, but for some reason when those bad hands on comes out, those board members come out and say "I told you the game was going to suck" lol plz stop it most of the hands on has said the game looks and plays great, its a lot of people with an agenda to bash The Conduit for what ever reason. If its not your type of game ok I understand, but to say its ugly and does not do anything good is just plan stupid. Go back and play your Lost in the Blue Wii and Ninja bread man, while we play The Conduit fools.

I seen about 30 Conduit hands on and about 2 of them negitive, but for some reason when those bad hands on comes out, those board members come out and say "I told you the game was going to suck" lol jmizzal

How can you be upset about random exploding canisters and enemies dropping health in nearly the same breath that you state that the game isn't enough like Metroid Prime?Arc2012

Good points, guys. Here are some I'd like to make:

1) This guy didn't play the game

"melee attacks - which, at the moment, look terrifically clumsy". Looked clumsy? If he had played it, wouldn't he know whether it actually IS clumsy or not, and not have to go on what it looked like?

"...the last preview version we saw". Saw? So you didn't play it? It was only demoed to them, just like we all got a preview, the same preview video they post up.

2) Where are all the people who yell "Metroid is FPA not FPS" ?

This guy is saying that The Conduit should be more like Metroid... but Metroid is not FPS according to them, or at least, should not try to be. So what he's essentially saying is that he would accept this FPS only if it were not an FPS? How does the opinion of someone who doesn't like FPS games help anyone who likes FPS games decide whether this game is good?

(And he's unsatisfied with the aspects that are like Metroid, such as picking up health from enemy bodies and the slider puzzles. What is this: damned if you do, damned if you don't?!)

3) Where are all the people who yell for others to be more mature and be able to appreciate games that aren't bloody messes?

So many people defend Wii games against the "where's the blood?" mentality, saying that blood doesn't make a game fun or not. Where are they now that this previewer says, "the lack of any sort of gore makes the gunplay feel a tad sanitised and unsatisfying"? Ah, they're championing him as proving themselves right that The Conduit is not fun, how very interesting.

I think this previewer is suffering from the same affliction many people in this forum are: they want to be able to say TOLDJA SO. They want to demonstrate their superior gamer taste by bashing a game before its release. 'Ooooh this is sooooo passé!'

Art direction is overrated. As long as the game plays great I'm fine with it. I'm tired of lazy devs doing sloppy seconds on the Wii. HVS is one of the few devs that are taking a Wii game seriously and you have to bash it. To each his own, but I still plan to get this game and enjoy the heck out of it.

I hope all of you whiners enjoy games like Deca Sports, Ninjabread Man, Sonic and the Black Knight, Wii Music, etc... because that's all you are going to get if you don't support games like the Conduit. You guys really don't seem to get it at all. Is it the best FPS ever, a halo-killer, and a game that everyone on the planet must play? Of course not. Is it an example of a developer developing a game solely for the Wii and putting absolutely all their effort into it to make a great game for the core gamer? Most definitely. Oh and for all of you saying the (technical) graphics look bad...you seriously haven't played many wii games. I agree that the art direction could use some work, but from the technical side of things, this game will be on par with Super Mario Galaxy. Write it down.

The fact of the matter is that crappy, shovelware games are selling like hotcakes on the Wii while other quality-made games are left in the dust. As a publisher trying to do the best thing for a company, what would you do? More and more of them will just abandon core games altogether and they will actually make MORE money.

Like I said, if those are the kinds of games you enjoy then by all means, rally against the Conduit...because you probably won't see anything else like it on the Wii if the current trend holds.

jfrancis04

This argument keeps coming up again and again: "sure you don't really want this game, but buy it anyway, because that will encourage them to make more of that sort of game!", and it makes as little sense as it did the first time it was attempted.

If someone doesn't want a game, why on Earth would they encourage developers to make more where it came from?

[QUOTE="umcommon"][QUOTE="bob_newman"]

Oh yeah, it's totally black and white like that. It's either "OMG teh amazing hardcorez game for teh Wii!" or "only teh shavolwerez for u!! HAHAH!! LOL". Yeah, those are our only 2 options. :roll:

You ever think that maybe, just maybe, some of us just don't want a generic FPS? Why would we support a game that we have no interest in? I mean, would you support Ninjabread Man, just because someone told you to?

And what about games like Deadly Creatures, de Blob, Zack and Wiki, Boom Blox, etc.? Those types of games are what the Wii should be about, not generic FPS's like every other console out there has.

bob_newman

-I think the point he is trying to make is if a well done game sells good on Wii devs will be more likely to support Wii with even better games. The COnduit appears to be the best effort thus far in the FPS genre for Wii.

-Did you ever consider the fact that everyone has different tastes and MANY OF US like FPS games? It's one of the most popular genres in western gaming and Wii has been shafted.

-Niche games are nice but if that's the only genre devs focus on they'll end up in the poor house.

-Well if that's what he's saying (which I doubt), than fine. But the way he worded it (buy this game or we'll only get shovelware) is completely wrong.

Like...this one game is the make-all and end-all of the system?

-But he was specifically going after people who do not like FPS (the "whiners", as fanboys would say). Does he think he's going to suddenly change our minds about the genre?

And if FPS's have such a huge following, then it will sell well anyway, with or without our support. So why do we need to support this game, again?

-End up in the poor house? All of the games I mentioned made, or will make, a profit. It might not be an insane profit like Nintendo makes, but it's still a profit.

In fact, some "niche" games (Boom Blox, de Blob, Kororinpa) did well enough to warrant sequels. So there's definitely a market for them.

Basically, the point of my original argument is that people need to stop pressuring others to buy this game, just because it's "teh hardcorez". If you don't like it, you don't like it. Simple as that.

it most of the hands on has said the game looks and plays great, its a lot of people with an agenda to bash The Conduit for what ever reason. If its not your type of game ok I understand, but to say its ugly and does not do anything good is just plan stupid.jmizzal

What would be the point to that kind of agenda?

I can only speak for myself, but my urge all along has been for people to see the game for what it is, not for what other people have told you it's going to be. We have plenty of trailers and gameplay footage now, and those videos show decent graphics overall that make use of some good effects, but the overall look is nothing special. The aliens are shiny but the trees look terrible. There are dynamic shadows but they stick out like a sore thumb against the bland backgrounds and grainy textures. This is more the fault of the Wii's hardware than the game, but it still doesn't look that amazing. Ugly is a stretch, since some parts look ugly and some look great.

As for it "does not do anything good," nobody's saying that it doesn't do anything good. We're saying it doesn't do anything special or new enough to get us excited. Again, we can make a judgment based on the plethora of video footage available. Sure, the customization is cool, but that doesn't really change the core of the game. Like the graphics, the gameplay has some bright spots, but it also has many bland spots, and the total package is somewhere in between. If you can overlook all the bland spots, that's great, but I just can't do it.